Imagine It Was Us
by flythruflames
Summary: Modern AU. Katniss didn't really care to meet new people or make new friends during her internship. She just wanted to learn and make money. The unexpected arrival of Peeta Mellark into her life throws a wrench into her plans. Written for Prompts in Panem, August 2014. Day 1 - Red.


The rhythmic, regular drips from the leaky faucet at the end of the row of sinks jerk Katniss out of her reverie.

How long has she been waiting? He was supposed to be here at least 10 minutes ago, and since meeting him, Katniss knows that Peeta has never not been punctual. She checks her phone, to see if he's maybe sent her a text explaining where he is, but there's nothing. The reception is spotty up on the 18th floor, too, so if she did send him a text, there would be no guarantee of him receiving it.

She slumps against the cold metal of the bathroom stall. Five more minutes, she decides. She'll give him five more minutes and then she'll—

Heavy footfalls outside the bathroom door make her freeze. He's here. She immediately stands up in nervous anticipation, and straightens herself, smoothing away any wrinkles in her cardigan and flyaways from her braid. Katniss wants to duck out and give herself a once over in the mirror to make sure everything's set, but the click of the door handle stops her in her tracks.

The door handle creaks as it's turned open and her stomach is in knots. They hadn't been apart for so long since they had met at the beginning of the summer. Weekends were theirs to spend together, but he had been tied up since last Thursday, playing tour guide for his father and brother as they flew up to visit him. But then she hears something that pulls her from her internal musings.

The delicate click of a pair of high heeled shoes.

He isn't here.

Katniss deflates, slamming a little too hard into the stall door in her disappointment. The woman froze for a moment before making her way to a stall across from Katniss's to do her business.

Where in the world is he?

He would've told her if something came up. He wouldn't have left her hanging, alone, in the 18th floor bathroom that nobody ever used. Especially since he's leaving in four days.

Sigh.

Outside the stall, the woman was drying her hands and making her way to the door, when Katniss hears him.

"Oh! I'm sorry," Peeta says, apologetically. "I was in a rush. Didn't realize the bathrooms on this floor are flipped, haha." His voice is oddly thin and high, and she can hear the sheepishness in it.

The woman, to her credit, pays him no mind. "That's alright," she replies breezily. "I've made the same mistake." And the woman click-clacks her way away from the bathroom.

Peeta, to seem less suspicious, she supposes, walks towards the men's bathroom across the hall, before scurrying back into the women's bathroom.

"Katniss?" he calls softly.

Katniss takes a deep breath, and smooths herself down one last time before unlatching the lock and pushing the stall door open, gesturing for him to enter.

Peeta pushes his way into the stall before locking it behind him. He's wearing his glasses today, she notes, and she loves how the thick, square frames accentuate the line of his jaw and make his blue eyes look even bluer.

"We should find a new rendezvous point, huh?" he asks, quirking an eyebrow.

She smiles slightly before nodding. "This one clearly isn't safe anymore," she agrees, looking down at their shoes. "But then again, does it matter? We're both leaving soon," she laments, her voice catching a bit.

Peeta's smile slips a little bit, before bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. She involuntarily leans into his warm touch and her eyes slip shut.

"Hey," he starts softly, and she opens her eyes to look into his bright ones, still so brilliant even under the flickering fluorescent lighting.

"I'm sorry I was late," he apologizes, wrapping his free arm around her waist and drawing her even closer. "Portia talked my ear off about this project we're working on, even though I told her a million times I had somewhere to be. She wasn't having it, though. I'm afraid she'll implode once I leave for good," he jokes weakly.

Katniss buries her face into his strong, solid chest before pulling away to look at him directly. "It's okay," she says softly. "You're here now."

Peeta's eyes darken a shade before bringing his hand back up to her face. His thumb rubs small circles over the apple of her cheek, and he lifts her face to meet his lips.

She sighs upon the first contact, reveling in the jolt of electricity she always feels whenever he kisses her. Her arms come up to snake around his neck, pulling him closer to her, as though she can't get close enough. Her tongue slides against the seam of his lips before pushing her way through to meet his own. Peeta groans into her mouth, before gathering her up against body. She wraps her legs around his waist as he pushes her against the stall door, the fixture shaking with the force of their passion.

Katniss breaks away for a moment, her chest heaving with exertion and face flushed with want. Peeta doesn't seem to mind, as he begins trailing his lips against her jaw, her neck, before sucking on her earlobe, his hands wandering from her waist up to the sides of her breasts, while grinding his hips into hers.

He's always so good to her. And she doesn't know how she'll deal once he leaves her.

"How much," she starts, her voice hoarse from the heavy breathing. Peeta doesn't seem to hear her, as he continues to kiss the sides of her face, his hands pushed up under her shirt and trailing down her bare sides.

"How much time do we have?" she asks, her voice a near whisper.

His eyes darken imperceptibly, before glancing down at his wrist. "Like twenty-five minutes," he informs her, his gaze drifting down to her lips once again. "Do you want—"

"Please," she interrupts, her eyes shining with a want and need. All for him.

He blinks for a moment, before surging her down to meet his lips again. His movements are wild, frantic with lust and the knowledge that they, once again, could be caught by someone else. Despite the frenzy, his touches are sensual and sweet, and she can feel how much he wants her with every shallow thrust of his hips into her own.

She wore a skirt today, and his hands creep up under her bare thighs, gripping gently, before bringing her down harder against him. Katniss moans before biting her lip to stifle the sounds she's making. It was just too difficult to keep quiet when she was with him.

His hands trail into the waistband of her underwear, sliding sinuously against her skin. Her eyes fly open for a moment in a panic, hoping that she didn't wear a ratty pair today, but her worries are quickly squelched as he brings his hand down her front, touching her where she needs it the most.

Peeta groans, his hand slipping through her wet heat, before bringing his other hand down to tug at her panties. He lets them slip to the floor, before setting her down a moment to undo his own pants. He's unzipped the zipper halfway before he freezes.

"Katniss," he groans out. "I didn't bring my wallet with me. I don't have a condom on me," he bites out, before closing his eyes and leaning his head backward against the stall wall.

Katniss blinks for a moment before gathering his face in her hands. "Hey," she starts. "It's fine. I get a shot so…it should be okay. Are you okay with it?" She almost can't believe what she's saying to him, a boy she's known all of two and a half months, she needs him so much that she would do anything to have him back inside her.

He almost knocks his glasses off in his enthusiasm as he kisses her again. He has her legs wrapped around his waist once more, his jeans and boxers in a puddle at his ankles. "I'm always okay with it. I'm always okay with anything you want," he mumbles against her mouth, before sliding into her with one full thrust. They both gasp at the contact, at finally being together again, even though it had only been a few days.

They don't last long. The days of anticipation, the thrill of potentially being caught, and the blazing inferno within them don't allow for them to take their time. But they don't mind.

He pounds into her relentlessly, his fingers rubbing expert tiny circles over her clit. She moans a little too loudly, and beckons for him to kiss her, which he does enthusiastically.

Her braid's come undone, her face sweaty and splotchy with want, but she doesn't mind, as she's almost there. Her breath's begun to come in short, broken gasps and he doesn't let up, kissing her fiercely and driving into her with a near desperation.

Katniss cries out, finally, the pleasure rolling through her body in undulating waves, and Peeta follows her quickly, spilling himself into her with a broken gasp, and kissing her sweetly as their breathing starts to slow.

She sets herself back down on the ground and begins to straighten herself out, reaching for a wad of toilet paper to clean up some of the mess they've made. Peeta just stares at her, pants still around his ankles, and she flushes immediately.

"What?" she bites.

"You're perfect," he breathes.

He helps her clean up a bit, before pulling up his own clothes and straightening himself out. He looks at his wristwatch again before breaking out into a brilliant grin. "And with seven minutes to spare," he beams, offering his hand up for a high five, which she returns with a smirk.

Katniss unlocks the stall door and they walk out, washing their hands and glancing at their appearances in the mirror to make sure they're decent. She's redoing her braid when Peeta comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in.

She sinks back into his touch momentarily, before pulling away.

"When does your flight leave?" she asks, her voice soft and distant.

His face falls a moment before he draws her back into him. "Thursday morning," he replies. "Really early." Peeta's internship was ending this week, as his semester school started earlier than her quarter one. She had another week left on the job.

"Ah," she says against his shoulder, and his grip on her tightens.

"Will you come over after work Wednesday? We can go out for dinner and then maybe you can help me pack up or something…" he trails off, without looking her in the eye, as if he's afraid she'll say no.

Funny. He should know by now that she can't deny him anything.

"Of course," she says softly, and his resulting smile makes her heart stutter in her chest.

He leans down to kiss her once more, softly and sweetly, not insistent or pushy, as if they have all the time in the world. He breaks it off much too quickly, and she groans almost silently at the loss of contact.

"I'll leave first, okay?" he says. "I feel like the afternoon's gonna be kind of slow, since we did a lot this morning…I'll ping you if you aren't busy?" he asks, and she nods with agreement.

He smiles at her one last time, straightening down the front of his red Oxford shirt and dark jeans before he walks out the bathroom door, leaving her alone.

She gazes at her reflection the mirror, before splashing water on her face to quell the flush that's crept its way up her body, but it's moot.

How could she let herself get like this? How could she be so head over heelsfor a boy she barely knew? A boy who would be leaving her in a few days. A boy who would be going back to his own school, back to his own life. A boy who she probably wouldn't see again.

Katniss gives herself a once over one last time before making her way out of the bathroom, swiping at her eyes as she walks to the elevator. She taps her foot impatiently as she waits for a car to come up to the 18th floor, and when it arrives, she's glad to have it empty and to herself, lest she do something stupid like cry.

* * *

"Any questions?" a cloyingly saccharine voice asked her.

Effie, the perky, overzealous HR representative sent to give Katniss her first day orientation, looked at her with big blue eyes, her mascara clumpy, giving her lashes a spider-like look. Katniss shook her head politely. She had been in onboarding classes all morning, and thanks to her school being one of the few on a quarter system, she was the only intern starting that week, so all of the onboarding had been between her and one other representative.

As a rising senior, she really wanted to get more coding experience under her belt before she actually had to go through the recruiting process. She had written a few websites and programmed extensively for her classes, but hadn't had any real experience besides what she did for fun. The internship search had been daunting, to say the least, especially since she knew she had to find a paid one, which was a task in and of itself. Luckily for her, Professor Abernathy, her data management professor, mentioned an opening at an old friend of his' firm. He was able to put in a good word for her, and after submitting a portfolio of her work, Katniss miraculously found herself with a paid summer position on Capitol Corporation's product development intern team.

Effie clapped her hands together, momentarily startling Katniss, before rising up out of her seat. "Let's go, dear! I'll take you around to meet the rest of the interns. Now that you're all here, we'll be having an introductory lunch later this week, so you can all get to know each other. Won't that be fun?"

Katniss nodded again politely. She didn't really care to meet new people, or make new friends. She just wanted to learn and make money.

She followed Effie through Capitol's garish gold-colored lobby, through the glass doors, and into another hallway. Effie chattered about, pointing to various photos on the wall ("From the ceremony where we were named one of the best places to work in the city!") to the massive windows, giving a perfect view of the bustling city center. Katniss nodded, "mmhmm"'d, and "aah"'d when it was appropriate, and followed Effie as they visited each department.

Katniss lost interest somewhere between meeting the HR and marketing teams, and wanted nothing more than Effie to lead her to product development so she could actually start working, but kept the polite smile on her face and introduced herself dutifully during their rounds.

"And this is the public relations team!" Effie said with a flourish, as they stopped into another room. The team was small, only four people, and they introduced themselves to her one by one. There was Portia, the director of PR, and Cressida and Messalla, two associates. The last person to introduce themselves was a boy about her age, with bright blue eyes and curly blond hair. Unlike the others, he walked up to her and shook her hand. He wasn't too tall, not much taller than her own 5'8 form, but had broad shoulders, strong arms that his button down couldn't hide, and a smile that she couldn't help but return.

"Hi," he said earnestly. "I'm Peeta. I'm the PR intern."

She took his hand, and shook it weakly. "I'm Katniss. Product development."

"I figured," he replied with a chuckle. "There's like an army you guys. I'm the only one here in PR."

She didn't know what to respond with, so she just smiled and nodded.

"Look at you, Katniss!" Effie exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Making friends already!"

Katniss felt her face heat up from the unwanted attention, but offered a light chuckle.

"Come now, Katniss! We'll go meet the rest of your team now," Effie said, pulling her out of the room.

"It's nice to meet you, Katniss," Peeta said warmly. "Hopefully we see each other around, yeah?"

She smiled in spite of herself, and gave out a quick "you, too", and Peeta grinned broadly.

Effie ushered her out of the room, and before she knew it they were in the massive product dev intern room. Effie introduced her to all 15 of her fellow interns, and none of them impressed Katniss much. They were all polite to varying degrees, some more than others. The only one she was even remotely interested in was Rue, a sprite of a girl who couldn't have been older than 19.

The rest of the afternoon went by rather quickly. As Katniss rode the train back to her apartment, she went back over her first day in her head. It was pretty standard, as far as first days went. She wasn't able to begin any projects just yet, but she was excited about the timeline she was given, outlining the projects she was expected to work on over the course of her internship.

Despite their five minute interaction, she couldn't help but think of Peeta. He was so friendly and kind to her, and seemed genuinely interested in becoming friends. She knew work was her number one priority, especially if she wanted to get a full-time offer from Capitol when her internship was over.

It wouldn't hurt to admire the way he looked, she rationalized. Especially since he worked on a different floor, and wasn't in her department.

It wouldn't hurt at all. She probably wouldn't see him that often, anyway.

* * *

She saw Peeta the very next day.

She had sat down at her computer, excited to get to work on her first coding project, when an incoming Lync message caught her eye.

_Peeta Mellark [sent 9:14 AM]: Hi Katniss!_

_Katniss Everdeen [sent 9:15 AM]: Hi Peeta._

_Peeta Mellark [sent 9:15 AM]: How was your first day?_

Was this a social call? At 9 in the morning? Surely he had work to do. And she didn't want to be seen as slacking off on her first real day of work.

_Katniss Everdeen [sent 9:17 AM]: It was good, thanks for asking. Did you need something?_

If she was being rude, he didn't seem to pick up on it.

_Peeta Mellark [sent 9:18 AM]: Yes, actually! Portia wanted me to shadow an intern from PD so I can understand the software better, so when I write press releases it actually sounds like I know what I'm talking about, haha._

Wouldn't he rather shadow someone who actually knew what was going on? Like one of the interns who had already started? But Katniss couldn't lie to herself. Peeta Mellark intrigued her, and she did want to get to know him better.

_Katniss Everdeen [sent 9:20 AM]: I don't know how much I'll be able to help you, but sure._

Peeta Mellark [sent 9:20 AM]: Great! Are you available around 11?

Katniss knew that she didn't have any meetings around that time, so she replied affirmatively.

_Katniss Everdeen [sent 9:22 AM]: Sounds good. See you then._

_Peeta Mellark [sent 9:22 AM]: :)_

Almost as soon as she closed out of their conversation, a calendar invitation popped up in her inbox.

_From: pmellark at capitolcorp dot com_

_To: keverdeen at capitolcorp dot com_

_Subject: Shadowing Katniss_

_Location: Katniss's Desk_

_Time: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM_

And there was a smiley face in the body of the message.

She smiled to herself, before accepting the invitation and beginning to work.

* * *

He arrived at 11 on the dot, all blue eyes and bright smiles. He was wearing a pair of thick frames glasses today, and when she commented on them, he chuckled.

"I normally wear contacts," he said, leaning back in the chair. "I was lazy this morning, though."

"They suit you," she replied absently, before freezing in mortification„ but he didn't seem to mind.

"Thanks," he said, eyes twinkling. Katniss blushed before focusing on her monitor.

Their shadowing session turned into a Q&A free for all, and they chatted more about themselves rather than the work at hand. She learned where he was from ("California,"), his major ("Journalism and finance, with a minor in studio art,") and where he was staying over the summer ("My older brother's friend lives got married and moved out of his old place, but there's two months left on the lease, so we're doing each other both a favor,"). She told him about her major, her school, which was located in the city, and what she liked to for fun.

A rumble from his stomach interrupted their conversation, and he sheepishly looked at his wristwatch. "Wow, we've been at it for a while, huh?" To which she nodded affirmatively.

"I hope I helped, Peeta. Have a good aft—"

"You wanna get lunch with me?"

Wait, what?

He didn't seem to notice her incredulity. "If you're from here, there's probably some good places you know around here, yeah?"

She nodded in spite of herself, and he jumped up in excitement, grasping her hand to pull her out of her chair. Katniss couldn't help but shiver at the rush of electricity she felt at the contact.

"Do you need to grab anything?" he asked, her hand still in his. Katniss shook her head negatively, and they made their way out of the room.

She didn't let go of his hand until they got to the elevator.

They ate lunch together every day after that.

* * *

The first time she kissed him was two weeks after they met.

Peeta didn't really know anyone in the City, and all of Katniss's friends were out of town for the summer. Her roommate Madge was even gone, spending the summer volunteering at a rural hospital somewhere in the Southwest, leaving her with a rowdy, messy subletter, so they ended up spending a lot of time outside of work and their daily lunches. His apartment was downtown, only three stops away from their building, and she'd often find herself there after work, just hanging out and getting to know one another better.

There was an intern happy hour organized by HR at the end of her second week, and Peeta had cajoled her into coming. As much as she protested, she knew that she would never pass up an opportunity to spend time with him, even if they would be with all of their coworkers.

They mainly kept to themselves at the bar, even though Peeta, popular among their fellow interns and full time staff alike, was pulled in every which way to talk with others. He apologized every time he was pulled away, but always made his way back to her.

They left the bar after two hours, both buzzed after their many drinks.

"You planning on going home?" he asked, nudging her in the side.

Katniss nodded. Her apartment was on the other side of town, and she didn't want to be on the train too late.

"Do you want to come over? Neither of us has eaten…I can make us something and then we can watch a movie." He looked nonchalantly, but she could see the underlying nervousness within him.

She grasped his hand, something she definitely wouldn't have done if she was sober, and smiled. "Lead the way."

The bar was only a few blocks from his apartment, so they walked, still hand in hand, in relative silence.

The apartment was on the 14th floor of a high rise, with a doorman and everything. Katniss's eyes widened marginally, but she bit her tongue and followed him in.

The apartment was remarkably spacious for a studio. There was a large living area, complete with huge windows to look down on the city below.

"Make yourself comfortable," Peeta told her, as they kicked their shoes off. "I'll make something really quick. What do you like?"

"Anything," she said, flopping onto the large leather couch in the middle of the living space. He chuckled, and set to work.

Next thing she knew, the heady aroma of pine nuts, olives, and garlic invaded her senses and Peeta was jostling her awake.

A massive plate of pesto pasta was in front of her, complete with what looked like freshly baked bread.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I thought you said you were making something quick?" she teased.

Peeta blushed a bit before handing her the plate. "You looked so peaceful while you were sleeping, I didn't want to wake you. So I ducked out to pick up a few things to make you something nicer." Peeta looked anxious, as though she would get up and walk out on him.

Katniss was floored. Over the course of the two weeks she had known him, Peeta had only been kind to her. He seemed so genuinely excited to spend time with her, and was always so sweet. She loved the he made her feel when he gave her an eye-crinkling smile or a belly laugh, she loved his quick wit and dry humor, and she couldn't believe he had gone through the trouble of making her a gourmet meal, while buzzed and while she slept on his couch.

And she didn't know how to to tell him.

So she kissed him.

It was awkward at first, her nose bumping against the frame of his glasses, and their teeth clacking together. He clearly wasn't expecting it, and his mouth was slack against hers. She pulled away, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Is this—is this okay?" she hedged, uncertainty coloring her voice.

Peeta blinked for a moment before drawing her back into him.

"More than," he replied huskily, before meeting his lips to hers more fully.

Their food went cold.

She left his apartment late, totally sated between his kisses and the food he had prepared for her. He kissed her one last time before she left, drawing her bottom lip into his mouth before he let her to.

She whimpered at the loss of contact, and Peeta laughed quietly.

"When can I see you again?" he asked, caressing her cheek

She bit her lip, thinking for a moment. She had plans to see one of her newly graduated friends tomorrow, as they were only in town for a day, so she unfortunately couldn't see him then.

"Sunday," she replied finally, and he smiled in return before kissing her again.

"Are you sure you'll be okay getting back? Text me when you're home so I know you're okay."

She nodded, and rose up to kiss him on the cheek before she turned around and walked away.

He didn't close his door until she got on the elevator.

* * *

The first time they slept together was a week and a half after that.

Peeta had invited her over for dinner during the middle of the week. They hadn't eaten lunch together that day, as he had been in meetings since the early morning. She was a little put out, but spent her lunch hour with Rue and Thresh, the only two interns she liked on her team.

She arrived at his place quarter after 6. Peeta had kissed her as soon as he let her in, and she couldn't help but melt into his embrace.

They broke away at the ding of a timer, and he scurried over to a large pot on the stove, turning the heat down and stirring occasionally.

"What are you making? Smells amazing."

He beamed at her from his place at the stove, his blue eyes twinkling behind his glasses. Ever since she had admitted to him that she had a thing for glasses, he wore them more often than not.

"My dad's favorite. Lamb stew over rice, with dried plums. It's an old family recipe."

"Sounds amazing," she replied, sipping from her water.

"It's just about ready," he said to her, and she helped him carry the dishes from the countertop to the coffee table in the middle of the living space.

They settled themselves into the plush leather couch, and dug in with gusto. Katniss moaned when she took her first bite; the flavors all complemented each other magnificently, and she couldn't remember the last time she had tasted anything so good.

They stuffed themselves to the brim, and laid out on the couch lazily, unable to move.

"Where did you learn to cook like that?" she asked him.

His eyes were closed, and he cracked one open to look at her, before closing it again. "My family runs a bakery," he replied. "Dad's really into cooking, as well as baking, so I just picked it up from him, I guess." Peeta tried to act nonchalant about it, but she could tell he was pleased with her praise.

Katniss sat up and moved to straddle his legs.

"So you can bake too?"

"Mhmm," he replied affirmatively, bringing his hands to settle on her slim hips.

She paused a moment, reveling in the warmth of his hands on her body, before starting again.

"What do I have to do to get you to bake me something as good as that meal?"

Peeta's eyes, which had been shut during their lazy banter, flew open. Katniss stilled immediately, wishing she could take back what she had said. It sounded so stupid out loud!

Peeta didn't seem to mind one bit. His hands, which had been over her blouse, crept under the hem to rest underneath, against her bare skin. She shivered at the contact, and he ran his hands up her sides.

"You don't have to do anything, Katniss. Just ask." His blue eyes darkened imperceptibly, boring into her grey ones, before leaning up to kiss her.

They kissed heatedly, her hands full of his blond curls, and his ironclad over her hips. They moved with a quiet frenzy, touching every part of each other they could, the room silent save their gasps and moans.

And then she felt it.

She felt him. Hard. Pressed up against her center.

She gasped when she felt it, and broke away from him, chest heaving. Peeta looked confused for a moment before the mortification set in.

"Oh, fuck. Katniss, I'm so sorry. I didn't—please don't think I had any ulterior motives or anything." He sounded agonized, sitting up immediately, and his face was a bright red.

He continued to apologize, over and over, and Katniss thought for a moment. Was this really so bad? She liked spending time with him, loved kissing him, was attracted to him, and clearly he was attracted to her. It had been so long since she had been with a man, too. Not since she and Gale made that disastrous attempt at dating her senior year of high school. Would this really be so bad?

She put a hand on his thigh, stopping him mid-apology.

"Peeta," she started. He looked at her, clearly still embarrassed, and she leaned forward to kiss him softly.

"I want this," she hedged, uncertainly. Peeta looked at her, incredulously, before she continued.

"I want you."

He looked at her for a moment, grasping her hand in his.

"Are—are you sure, Katniss?" he asked, concern coloring his voice. "I don't want you to regret anything. I don't want our friendship to be ruined if this goes wrong." He seemed nervous and agitated, and while his concerns were valid, she couldn't imagine anything like that happening between them.

She answered him with a kiss.

They spent all night discovering each other's bodies. Katniss learned that Peeta would do anything she asked if she stroked him just right. Peeta learned that Katniss would purr like a cat if he rubbed his jaw against her inner thighs.

Thanks to Finnick, Peeta's brother's friend, whose apartment he was staying in, leaving some of his personal effects stashed away under the bathroom sink, they were able to go all the way, and it exceeded Katniss' expectations.

"It's so late," Peeta panted out, his arm curled around her naked body, the sweat from their time together still slick on their skin.

Katniss nodded vaguely, resuming her doodling of various shapes on his body. He shivered when she hit a particularly ticklish spot, before stilling again.

"Do you need to go?" he asked softly. She stopped her movements. How could she have gotten so caught up? She had to go all the way back to her apartment, she didn't have any clothes here, and there's no way she would be able to go into the office without showering.

But then she remembered the email her manager, Cinna, had sent her intern team earlier in the day.

_From: __cinna at capitolcorp dot com_

_To: __INTERNAL_PRODDEV at capitolcorp dot com_

_Subject: Tomorrow_

_Dear All,_

_Just as a reminder, I, along with Venia, Flavius, and Octavia will be out of the office tomorrow. As all of your managers will be out, we have decided that it is unnecessary for you to come into the office tomorrow. Please try and spend some time working on your projects. We look forward to seeing your progress on Friday._

_Enjoy your Thursday!_

Thank God for small miracles.

"I don't have to go in tomorrow," she said, and explained the situation to him.

He beamed when she was done, and drew her in even closer. "So you can stay tonight?" to which she nodded enthusiastically.

He kissed her fiercely, then, and they resumed their exploration of each other.

He was late to the office the next day.

* * *

Before Katniss knows it, it's Wednesday. The week had been fairly hectic, with the round-the-clock work her team was doing to prepare for the latest beta release of Capitol's software. Peeta and his team had been just as busy as she was, crafting press releases left and right.

They barely spent any time together outside of their daily lunches, and even those were cut short by meetings the both of them had.

She meets him by the elevators on his floor at 5 PM. She'd dressed a little fancier than she normally would today, in a red dress and navy blazer, with a change of clothes in her backpack for tomorrow.

He strides out of the glass doors at 5, and smiles at her before grasping her hand in his. He looks exhausted; she knows how stressed he's been between work and getting ready to leave, as well as preparing for the start of his semester.

"You okay?" she asks once they were in the elevator.

His grip tightens on her hand as they ride down. "Ah, yeah," he replies easily. "I'm fine. Just tired. It's been a long week."

She's silent for a moment. Katniss hates that he was so stressed, she hates that he can't just relax like he wants to.

She nudges him in the side before beginning. "You wanna just order in tonight? That way I can help you pack up and we won't have to rush."

He smiles in relief and kisses her temple.

"Thank you. Sounds good."

They're silent the rest of the way to his apartment.

* * *

The apartment was almost totally packed up when they got there, with all of Peeta's things in two corresponding suitcases and Finnick's residual stuff piled into a couple of boxes.

"He's coming by this weekend to get the rest of it," Peeta informs her, before pulling out his phone to open the GrubHub app. "What are you in the mood for?"

She shakes her head head before pulling out her own phone. "I got it," she replies airily. "You just relax."

Their food arrives in record time, and they eat in silence, sampling each other's plates and just enjoying each other's company. Peeta chews for a moment, before swallowing hard.

"I had my final evaluation with Portia today," he says calmly, picking at his pad kee mao.

Katniss looks up from her own curry, before looking back down again. "How did it go?" she asks, desperately trying to remain cool. But her voice shakes anyway. She doesn't want it to be over. She doesn't want this, them to be over.

"They gave me a full-time offer," he says quietly, and she puts her food down before coming closer to him.

"Peeta, that's incredible," she breathes, grasping both his hands in hers and squeezing lightly. He smiles for a moment, before looking at her more seriously.

"Are you going to accept it?" she asks.

He shrugs before leaning back into the couch. "I don't know yet," he replies. "It's a great opportunity, but I'm not sure. What about you?" he asks. "When's your evaluation?"

"Next week," she replies, suddenly nervous. Katniss was banking on getting a full-time offer from Capitol. Cinna had raved to her during her midterm evaluation, and he regularly praised the work she was doing, but she still wasn't certain.

"If," he begins, before stopping again. "If you get it, will you accept it?"

She nods immediately. "I couldn't turn it down. It would be a fantastic opportunity."

Peeta nods in understanding, before telling her.

"If you get an offer, and accept it, I'll accept mine."

Katniss's heart bursts while her stomach drops. How can he revolve such an important decision around her? She's flattered, really, but she can't help but feel like basing a huge decision around her could be potentially disastrous.

"Peeta, I—"

"Let me explain," he interrupts, placing his hand on her bare thigh. "Capitol has been amazing. I've learned so much, and this would absolutely be an incredible opportunity. But you've also been a dream. I never imagined I would meet someone like you here. And I'm more than willing to wait for you and give this a try. Even if it doesn't work, I'd still love to stay your friend."

Katniss can feel the earnestness in every word he says, and he squeezes her knee at the end of his speech.

"How about it, huh?" he asks, with a quirk of his lip. "That okay with you?"

Her answer comes in the form of a kiss.

They make love unhurriedly that night, first with their mouths, and then with their entire bodies, bringing each other to one shattering climax after another.

They sleep for only a few hours before he has to go to the airport, showering together before his cab came.

"You can stay here until you need to go in, okay?" he says to her at the front door, suitcases on each side of him. "Just give the doorman the key when you need to leave."

She nods jerkily before surging forward to kiss him, pouring all her feelings for him into it, to show him how much she cared about him and how much she would miss him.

Peeta kisses her with equal vigor, pulling her fully against her chest, as if he was trying to draw her into him fully.

The ringtone of his cell phone breaks them apart, and Peeta answers it raggedly, thanking the cabbie and letting him know he would be right down.

Katniss leans forward, resting her forehead against his. "I'm going to miss you so much," she mumbles, and he gives her a sad smile in return.

"Hey," he replies, tilting her head up. "It's not forever, okay? Regardless of how your evaluation goes, we'll see each other again, okay?"

She nods sadly, and kisses him one last time before ushering him towards the elevator. "Text me when you get to the airport?" she asks quietly, and he responds affirmatively, before pressing his lips to her forehead and making his way to the elevator.

He waves to her from the end of the hall, and she doesn't go back inside until he disappeared into the elevator.

She lets herself cry before she has to go into the office.

* * *

One week later

_Katniss [sent 4:42 PM]: I had my final evaluation._

_Peeta [sent 4:42 PM]: AND?_

_Katniss [sent 4:43 PM]: I got the offer. And I said yes._

_Katniss [sent 4:48 PM]: Hello?_

_Peeta [sent 4:49 PM]: Sorry, I was sending Portia an email to accept my offer._

_Peeta [sent 4:50 PM]: I'm so happy for you. Also happy for me. Happy for us :D_

_Katniss [sent 4:51 PM]: xxx_

_Peeta [sent 4:52 PM]: When can I see you again? I need to see you soon. I miss you so much._

_Katniss [sent 4:54 PM]: Do you have Columbus Day off?_

_Peeta [sent 4:55 PM]: Ya, I think so._

_Katniss [sent 4:57 PM]: I've never been to California before._

_Peeta [sent 4:58 PM]: ! ! ! ! !_


End file.
